Wynne Libs War Against Vaping & E Cigs Continues with New Laws by Jamie Gilcig MARCH 10, 2016

Some agendas are more clear than others.    The Ontario government makes a lot of money off of the licensing of tobacco products.   In theory those monies are supposed to offset the high medical costs of traditionally smoked tobacco.

E Cigs have grown exponentially with many using them as a tool to refrain from smoking and saving lives.

The thing is that not all people using e cigs are in fact consuming nicotine or tobacco.   Some, in fact many, are simply using them for the  ritual of smoking, and simply consuming flavored liquid.

There are no conclusive studies proving comparable deadly effects that impact us with primary or second hand cigarette smoke.

In fact most e cigs emit no detectable smells to nearby people.

Yet Premier Wynne keeps upping the ante against the industry, and essentially is endangering Ontario workers by not letting them use an alternative without any real health or scientific grounds.

The latest proposed laws:

1. Expand “no smoking rules” to apply to medical marijuana;
2. Prohibit the use of e-cigarettes – including the use of vaporizers to consume medical marijuana and testing in vape stores – in all enclosed public places, enclosed workplaces, and other specified outdoor areas;
3. Permit parents, guardians and caregivers to supply e-cigarettes to minors for medical marijuana purposes;
4. Expand the definition of “e-cigarette” to include “e-substance”;
5. Expand the list of places where e-cigarettes are prohibited for sale;
6. Establish rules for the display and promotion of e-cigarettes at places where they are sold.  

There are two major issues here.   With Marijuana about to become legal in Canada if you believe Premier Wynne’s good buddy Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, it might make sense to have some laws in place, but in reading the above it seems simply a loop hole to shutter “vape lounges” and other locations that are starting to pop up, while strangling one of the few fledgling areas of economic growth in Ontario.

Juju or Elysian sticks for example deliver marijuana oil via steam with no offshoot of smoke.    If someone is prescribed medical marijuana under what grounds should they be penalized or forbidden?    Should we tell diabetics not to take Metformin in public too?   What danger is there in these types of products, and shouldn’t the government have some sort of actual evidence of harm before whipping out laws?

Is this a health issue or a cash issue?  Are certain industries getting extra consideration at the expense of new businesses that are embracing the trends of the e-cig industry and medical marijuana?

For a province that is already under extreme debt pressure is this about our health or about cold hard cash for government coffers at the expense of local industry, from the retailers across the province to the companies that supply them?

E Steam

E Steam CEO Steve Moreau stated:

Regulating where we can use electronic cigarettes like it’s a tobacco product when in fact they are designed as a harm reduction ‎tool is like telling alcoholics they can only drink water at the pub.   It doesn’t make sense. People are making a conscience decision not to use tobacco and they are being pushed back into the ” smoking pits”.   Instead of penalizing those who are trying to better their lives and health we should be rewarding them .   
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Prohibiting testing in vape shops doesn’t make sense either. How does one know if the product is for them? How do they know which kit or e liquid they prefer without testing.    
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We have a product which is known to reduce tobacco use and people can’t even see if it’s the right product for them.   
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The government needs to make decisions based on the industry, the users, and the vape shop owners, and not from those who have never used the product. Decisions need to be based on FACT and not FEAR.

Are the Wynne Gov'ts New Proposed Laws for E Cigs & Vaping Going Too Far?

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Ottawa Marijuana activist Russell Barth commented on the new proposed laws:

It is not based in any science. Pot is way safer than tobacco, and getting a whiff of someone’s second hand smoke or vape is about as safe as taking a whiff of perfume or weird food.
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This is a violation of our Charter rights as 11 court rulings have shown. It is a violation of our mobility rights as it basically sequesters medical users in their homes and causes unbelievable risks to people like my wife who needs to medicate where and when necessary.
 
It is illegal, plain and simple.

What do you think dear CFN viewers?  Are these proposed laws going too far?  You can post your comments below.

26 Comments

  1. I was a dedicated heavy tobacco smoker for over fifty years. Thirteen months ago I switched to an e-cigarette, and haven’t touched (or missed) tobacco for over a year now. Lungs have cleared up, cough is gone, and my energy level has improved. And no one, not even my wife, complains about my second-hand vapour. That’s because the vapour dissipates and disappears almost immediately, unlike smoke.

  2. Author

    I’m sure your MPP will be glad to hear that Furtz. We asked Mr. Clark for a comment, but he hasn’t replied as of yet.

  3. Actually Jamie, I’m sure that both my MPP and MP would like it if I disappeared permanently. I’m an old Dipper. 🙂

  4. Author

    Yes, your MPP has mentioned you by name to me once at an event 🙂 I like Steve even if he’s not terribly nice to CFN.

  5. Marijuana may become legal….eventually. Justin Trudeau says it will take a while, as many laws have to be looked at and changed. And then the provinces get their shot at changing their laws.

    Congrats Furtz on quitting the evil tobacco.

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  7. Wynne should consider imposing restrictions on flatulence in public places. I can assure you that my “intestinal gas” lingers longer and causes far more damage than the vapour from my e-cigarette.

  8. My wife smoked for 35 years. She did a lot of research on vaping before she started. She has COPD Vaping was the best thing they ever came out with. My wife has been smoke free since January. My wife’s breathing has improved in only a few months. She doesn’t cough as much. I am a smoker an outside smoker. Vaping I have to admit isn’t the same thing as smoking .

  9. God help us all if marijuana becomes legal when already all the drunks and drug users on the road who can’t drive and always in accidents. If that happens most of us will be off the road and taking the bus.

  10. All I know is that my son has quit smoking cigars and cigarettes altogether with the aid of his vapor kit. What is the point of picking on this item? Focus on something harmful like beer in the grocery stores! Stop picking on the individual who is doing nothing harmful.

  11. Vaping isn’t smoking. Perhaps the preparation of food that produces vapour in public places should be banned as well.

  12. I have been vaping a very short time. I did a lot od research before I started I was a 2 pack a day smoker. I have COPD vapin was the best thing I have ever done. I smoked 35 years. Smoking & vapin aren’t the same thing. Far from the same. I can breath, I no longer gasp for air. Vapin has saved my life. I have Anxiety since I quit smoking thanks to vapin my Anxiety isn’t as bad.

  13. It’s Wynne’s way of trying further to control us. Kim camirand….selling beer in the grocery stores is harmful? It’s available in beer and liquor stores as well. Putting it in grocery stores just adds another level of convenience for it to be bought, thus taxed. I guess Wynne figures we aren’t taxed enough.

  14. Vaping has saved my life and helped me quit smoking. Pills, patches and gums didn’t work for me. Now they want to regulate the crap out of it to discourage people from quitting all in the name of the all mighty tax dollar. Studies have been out for quite a while in the UK and they agree vaping is 95% safer than smoking and there is no such thing as second hand smoke from vaping.

  15. I have been a tobacco smoker for over 40 years! I have tried everything ever offered several times over that period to quit smoking ! All of them unsuccessfully . I am now smoke and tobacco free for18 months. The improvement to my health and well being is amazing! I will be nicotine free this month. Vaping is NOT smoking. these unsubstantiated bans will only lead to smoking tocacco again!

  16. Like my old director said to me more than once….”perception is reality.” That goes a long way, UMHO, in explaining why the Wynne government is proposing what it did.

  17. Vap lounges are not public places, they are members only lounges for medical cannabis patients ( at least in theory since showing a license is not required by any law). Good luck shutting them down. The dispensaries are perfectly illegal on the other hand and yet they are left completely untouched. Crazy world anymore.

  18. It is easier to police one rule for all types of smoking in movie theaters, malls and other places of business.During cold and flu season, do we need more germs in the air at a restaurant?
    Not being able to smoke in a place you don’t own is an infringement on mobility rights how Russell Barth?

  19. Marijuana legalization will change almost nothing. It’s like 2012, when people were waiting for the end of the world. If legalization happened today, nothing will be changed tomorrow. People that will use cannabis i must tell you, are already using cannabis. It’s harmless, victimless. The only thing it might change is the black market and gang control of her. Your bus driver might also be a user.

  20. I disagree Jerry. Marijuana legalization will mean that the millions of people who use the weed won’t face the prospect of a life-long criminal record and all that comes along with that.

  21. You are quite right Jerry about bus drivers might be on marijuana and some airline pilots are already flying high. I may have to do an awful lot of walking but even at that when I think about the woman in Cornwall who was murdered by two insane ddrivers going up onto the sidewalk and killed her instantly. Everything has been hidden from the public on this case.

  22. Put simply…anyone could be high on marijuana. So, best for Jules to just stay inside. Once again…..accident investigation reports are not typically released to the public. Nothing has been hidden. She was not murdered, she died as a result of an accident. Look up the definition of murder: murder committed with malice aforethought, characterized by deliberation or premeditation.

  23. Everyone has the potential for being high on marijuana,it’s not restricted to one occupation, race or sex. Nothing is being hidden from the public in regards to the accident on Brookdale. Accident investigation reports are very rarely released to the public. If the police determine it would be best in the public interest to release the info they would. But I wouldn’t count on that happening.

  24. It will be 3 yrs this coming July 2016 since me and my husband quit smoking and switched to e-cigs. We are both healthier for it. He was a 2 pack a day chain smoker, I smoked a pack a day. The vapes, however, emit very little odor, if any. These new regs are without any evidence and are unconstitutional. Vaping is NOT smoking, not even close.

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